But Know This!
We are about to enter into the first week of the New Year, and regardless of what you might think about our world, which is constantly on alert, or even the possibility of another war, we all know that life is a risky business.
‘For you do not know what a day (or a year) will bring forth.”
.I recently read about some famous celebrities who passed away in 2024, some of whom I’m sure you are familiar with.
Singers: Kris Kristofferson, Toby Keith, David Soul.
Athletes: Pete Rose, Willy Mays, O.J. Simpson.
Politicians: Joe Liberman, Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.
Businessman: Home Depot Founder Bernard Marcus
Music: Quincy Jones, Toby Keith.
Actors: James Earl Jones, Louis Gosset, Bob Newhart
TV Host: Phil Donahue.
There are hundreds of others, but these are the ones who quickly come to mind and remind me of that biblical adage: “What is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”
According to the best figures I can find, approximately 155,000 people in this world die every day. Breaking that down, that’s about 6,500 individuals every hour, or 107 per minute. Each click that you hear represents the death of some individual.
Some of the people who died in 2024 were educated, somewhere not. Some were rich, and some became poor, ending up in abject poverty. On the other hand, some were affluent and satisfied their every need, while others never had the opportunity to drink a full glass of water in their lives. Some experienced no illness, while others never knew a day of good health. Some were winners, and some were losers; some were peacemakers, while others were as disciplined as soldiers training for war. Some brought joy when they entered a room, while others brought relief when they left. Some laughed frequently, and some cried often.
Regardless, with each tick of the clock, a soul departed from us, moving from time into eternity
Did they have a warning of their coming death, or did death come swiftly and unannounced? Some will be mourned and missed, and some will be hated and hissed. And some things are not for us to know. But one thing we do know is that they are no longer with us. The lesson to be learned is that one day, the last tick of the clock will be for you and be for me because death comes to everybody.
That is why Isaiah the prophet said in Chapter 55:6-7, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”
We only get one chance to repent and receive eternal salvation in this life, on this side of the grave.
We’re Not in Control.
So Let Me Ask A Few Questions To See If You Are In Control:
1. Are you sure you will be alive tomorrow? If your answer is “Probably,” you aren’t in control of your life.
2. What will you eventually die of? If you don’t know, you do not in control your life.
3. Are you in control of all circumstances surrounding you? Can you control the weather and the way other people drive when you’re on the
highway? Then you’re not in control of your life.
4. When you breathe your last, will you be headed for heaven or hell?
Because you are not in control of your destiny, you need the Savior because you aren’t in control.
God has always known you would need a Savior, and that is why He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the Cross in your place. Confess your sins and invite Him into your heart right Now. He’s waiting for you to do so.
Circumstances Beyond Our Control
Considering the number of things that can go wrong in our lives, I am sure there were instances in your past when you missed death by a fraction.
We will never know how many times the Lord has kept us from being injured because an auto accident didn’t happen. We cannot guess how often He has kept our feet from stumbling and falling. We will always remain unaware of the multitude of viruses and bacteria that were never able to lay us low because the Lord, our Protector goes before us and keeps us safe.
Every New Year, the list of potential outcomes can be endless. The good news is that, like Job, while we do not know what tomorrow holds, we know who holds tomorrow. He blesses us from things seen and unseen, from circumstances we have no control over.
Be not as confident as the lion shaking his mane or the horse rushing into battle for, “This is what the Lord says:
“Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight, “declares the Lord.”
A Blessed New Year To You!
The Best Is Yet To Be For The Child of God.
Pastor Robert Bryant